Here six months ago I reflected on how many people decided not to vote in last year’s European elections.

This year, in May’s General Election, there’ll be a lot more at stake – and not just for the country’s MPs.

Back in 1950, five in every six of the UK electorate voted in the General Election. In 2010, just two thirds did so. Here in the Chippenham constituency we did a little better, but turnout was still only just over 70 per cent. Outside of General Elections, the problem is even worse: in last year’s local and European elections, turnout was barely a third of eligible voters.

Some groups are much more likely to vote than others. This is perhaps even more concerning than low overall rates of turnout: if the group of people who vote is not representative of the population as a whole, it seems likely that the politicians we elect and their priorities won’t be either.

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably used to politicians urging people to vote at elections, for whichever party they support. Clearly, that’s not been enough, which is why the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee – a cross-party group of MPs of which I am a member – is trying to understand what can be done to make our democracy work better.

We are conducting an investigation into voter engagement, and have recently published an interim report, setting out some of the key problems, investigating their causes and considering a range of possible solutions. Now we want to hear what you have to say.

Our report identifies several reasons for low participation in elections and sets out a number of proposals to encourage greater participation in politics and elections, from making it possible to vote online to adding a “none of the above” option to ballot papers.

Instead of imposing these ideas from on high, though, we on the committee want to know what you think would make a difference. I would encourage you to take part in our survey at www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/voter-reform or write to: Voter Engagement Consultation, The Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

My next constituency surgery will be at my office in Avonbridge House, Chippenham, on Saturday from 10am–11.30am.